Look Closer
by wharfcoyote
Summary: On Raw, Seth tried to manipulate his way into a match with Roman at Fast Lane with Roman's WrestleMania main event on the line, but was everything as it seemed? One-shot.


_Monday Night Raw - 2/2/15_

Seth slowly made his way backstage still slightly dazed from Roman's Superman punch to his jaw. He was angry, but not so much about losing the match or even about Roman's interference; he just hated when a good plan failed to come to fruition. Seth avoided the Authority's locker room. He hated spending time there during the best of times. Now, in his current mood, he doubted that he could maintain the farce that his life had become. Instead, he wandered deeper into the bowels of the arena, seeking a place where he could privately lick his wounds.

* * *

Dean paced manically backstage, roughly shoving his fingers through his hair. He had had enough. First Seth had betrayed them, and now he had attempted-unsuccessfully, ha!-to take Roman's rightful spot in the main event of WrestleMania. He wanted nothing more than to teach the little traitor a lesson. But Seth was a difficult person to get close to. He seemed to know how to disappear without a trace. And when Dean could find Seth he was usually surrounded by a pack of Authority sycophants. Suddenly, Dean's eyes lit up. "Looks like tonight is my lucky night," he thought. Seth was a mere twenty yards away and, more importantly, alone. Alone and far from any allies. Dean grinned evilly. He moved stealthily toward his prey and surprised Seth by shoving him roughly against the concrete wall. He proceeded to assault him with a series of wild punches. It took Dean a few minutes to realize that Seth wasn't fighting back; he was merely attempting to protect himself the best he could from Dean's flurried offense. "What's the matter, Sethie?" Dean taunted. "Scared of a fight?"

"Terrified," Seth replied dryly.

Dean wasn't sure what to do next. He could continue beating the shit out of Seth, but it wasn't as satisfying if Seth refused to fight back. He could try to goad Seth into retaliating, but he knew from their Shield days that he was unlikely to be successful. Roman was the one who could always be provoked into a scuffle; Seth, on the other hand, could only be bullied into a fight if he wanted to be. And tonight, Seth clearly was not in the mood for a fight. Dean also knew that Seth wasn't actually afraid of him. They had thrown down enough times to know that they were fairly evenly matched. Dean may have had a bit of a size advantage, but Seth was far more strategic and calculating. Dean was at a loss. He stared at Seth who was currently hunched over in pain and clenched his fists angrily at his sides.

"Well, if you're done using me as a punching bag," Seth said straightening painfully, "I'm gonna be on my way. Unless you wanna be a big boy and use your words?"

"Use my words, huh? You're supposed to be the smart one. You know exactly what this is about."

"Why don't you tell me anyway? Just to make sure we're on the same page."

"You," Dean said as he poked his finger into Seth's chest, "were trying to worm your way into Ro's spot, and I don't appreciate it. Don't you think you've done enough?"

"Of course," Seth said laughing hollowly. "Of course that is what you would think."

"What other possibility is there?"

"Nevermind." Seth muttered, and he pushed by Dean and started to walk away.

"Wait." Dean grabbed Seth's arm and pulled him back around. "Don't be a pussy. If you've got something to say, say it."

"Fine." Seth shook himself loose of Dean's hand. "I will." Seth poked his index finger into Dean's chest, mirroring Dean's action from a few minutes earlier. "When are you and Roman gonna learn that sometimes things are different from what they seem, huh? That appearances can be deceiving, and all that?" Seth's voice was bitter. "_Maybe_, Dean, I watched the Rumble and saw the crowd turn on Roman. And _maybe_ I felt bad for him and decided to do something about it. So, _maybe_, I interfered in his match with Big Show tonight to make the crowd feel a little more sympathetic toward him and hate me more. The crowd already doesn't care for me, remember? So _maybe_, I was trying to get a match with Roman at Fast Lane so the fans could boo me and support him. And _maybe_ if he destroyed me at Fast Lane the fans would finally get behind him before his match with Lesnar at WrestleMania."

Seth moved his hand away from Dean and shrugged. "Or maybe I'm just a weasel who was trying to take advantage of a bad situation. We both know which one you believe. I'm not gonna try to convince you of anything. The truth doesn't matter now anyway. I'm not facing Roman at Fast Lane. He made sure of that," Seth rubbed his jaw where Roman's fist had landed earlier that night. "Let Daniel Bryan's fans cannibalize him at Fast Lane, then. See if I care."

Seth began to walk away again but stopped after a few steps. When he turned around, Dean wasn't sure if the emotion etched into his former friend's face was disgust or hurt. "You know," Seth began, "we traveled together for a long time. We saw each other at our best and at our worst. We were there for each other during the good times and the bad. I trusted you two with my secrets. Hell, I trusted you two with my life. And, unless I'm mistaken, you trusted me too. Was it all a lie, you think, Dean? Was I faking the whole time? Am I that good of an actor?"

Seth waited for Dean's response, but none came. He continued anyway, "Do you realize that after that night, neither of you came to me demanding an explanation? You both just accepted my on-air excuses at face value. I would've thought that you cared enough about our friendship, cared enough about our family, cared enough about _me_ to dig a little deeper, look a little closer. But I was wrong. You didn't even try. Not once. And you think I'm the bad guy."

This time Seth didn't wait for a response. He simply turned around and walked off, calling over his shoulder, "See you around, _brother_."


End file.
